Method and apparatus for spinning bridge cables



Mam}! 1932- c. c. SUNDERLAND METHODAND APPARATUS FOR SPINNING BRIDGE CABLES Filed Feb. 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEYS March 22, 1932. c. c. SUNDERLAND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SPINNING BRIDGE CABLES 2 SheetsSheet v INVENTOR 5M fld/MM Filed Feb. 25, 1931 BY ZAATTORNEYS @fifiww 4 Patented; Mar. 22;; 1932 i EDsrATEJspATEN f sunm ari mip ori isrriwgsmmswioxjimw mizsm';'hssiemm i'rolaomrrs; a

' j rhisiayqga-ie mia em v and is especially adapted for spinning sussuspension bridges, 2

lizonntme s .solis -roomremz, or'izmm zrom; Nfiwgqsawm oonrorm'rron vor5:13 :31:

V JERSEY Mmeanguage meantim -Emmi: l ms Antietamremakes, 813 fie l' -l ailf 'i pension "bridge ywire cables ofthe parallel wire 'type inwhichfthewiresare laid up pa r 5 allel into cables or'tofformstrands; and-these inventio fbeiiig to provide an improved meth od and'aplearatus for this -purpose,,in which a higherspeedot cable construction shall he;

securedi.-'-

y 1 V V In spinning' parallel wires-cables on large I the method usually employed heretofore :ias follows For each main cable, there ;is insta1led a continuous alo-utriients, and carrying two'spim mgwheels, which move: in opposite directions across .the span; and' 'returmfone spinning 4 wheehbeing at orie-endof theo'icable when the "20 other wheel is at theotherendKW ire is laid by this arrangement in four ihilividual Serena's" by one spinning" wheel carrying a wire for one-strand over thespan and on its retfu'rn carrying fa wire strand; while the other spinning wheel car ri'es a wire for a third strand across the fsp an 'onthe 'return'tifip carries; a wire fora fourth'isti-andl ,In ,the se "oi this method; it.

A is-'=obvioi1si* that thewire reels and' -uni' eeling p air ofstrands; and

mechanisms for two strands are not use 'dui'iirigithe trip a'crossthe span'fori the other i two strands; [so that; although ifo'ury wire reels aud-hnreelihg mechanismsare required v it'o'rjth'efour-strands of giis'ms in" operatioii' at -one time,-*inyolymg a wa'stein'equipment'opera are're'quired" an gen main cable, there areonly twoireels and' unreehng mecha ion. *Furthenthere d iaTdju'sting' the wire in "the being one z'coi'iiplete gang required for each in along span, when these doing inot'hing "but simply trip of-the! Thepresentinventioh decreases largelythe,

gangs of men-are waiting. forvithe tiinezrequired forspimiing cables aiidrecluces ithe' idle :period of ethe menn'a-ndf unreeling seaming cables,

for "a second 1 I alarge number- 0f men distrilo med'throughoumhelength10f the span for positioning Fa strands and'it strands in' the cables,- there V :thereiis a considerable period creme, amou ting toabout halftime,-

spinning wheels to he completed. I

v ohan" 'sm wlthout increasing materially the equipment or labor cost,by using 'tramways; each ofwhichruns oiily about one-half of the p n,

these tramways running from oppo'g, slte endsof the cablesso as to meet at'aii inter mediatei p'ointjof the cable; length. At this intermediate point, thewires are transferred from one spipningwheelnto' the other'forthe returnitrip ofthe latter; so ithat ieachcwire is point of the cable laid to am intermediate by& spinning wheel ouonetramway and then; r

' carried through theirema'ning le igthfof ithe wheelonfits're- 1 turn trips Four strands'may thus spun 65.

cable by the other spinning withitwo tramways each] carrying two spinning wheels moving inopposite-directions,

" 'For 'a run understanding-of; the-invention,

a detailed description;of:anwapparatusior carrying outthe invention inr its preferred rem. and its method: of operation, in cofnnectioh with laying .a bridge cable; will nowhe.

given in .connectio n 'with drawings, forming: apart of this specifica: tion, rand-the features theirp articularly pointed out in'th claims, 7 ii Figure 1 is; a diagrammatic plai x yiewgof thecable laying apparatu the accompany forming the invention Figure 2 is an eularged side yiew ofithe same" t; the intermediate 'p'oint, of the cable where the wires are etr ansferred;

(Figure 3 is; a acrossjsction looking gure; -ad gre rnn e ilw e i the apparatus awn ena ofthe; g

eid awing rete oh, end f2, 1

Refer ingrnowte being marked iin the drawings,- -are;mre supply reels 10; carrying wires iora'fo i the-four v strands a,-;-and: at feaschiend fof the a -traniway. adriving mechadrive thetramwa-ys orytrace or bridge :or cable. nism 1-1, which tion ropes b, a, running from-opposite gends ot the :bridge orfcabl-e to an intermediate.

point in the cahlej where their-runs-overlap for a short distance. These -tramways are arranged iii-the usual manner'to make ,a conthiuoas run overguide sheaves an'd driy: ingsheaves :13 atjeach end off the cable, and over gui e-th mes i e andi u s ea s 5 mg; f no,

roof

at the intermediate point end of the traming on tramway b and theothers d, d on tramway c. e supporting frame of the spinning wheels may be mounted on the tramway in any suitable manner. The wires are shown as passing from the driven supply reel around a fixed sheave 16, a floating ten sion sheave 17, .fixedsheave 18 and guide sheave 19 to and around the spinning wheel and having their dead ends secured to the anchorage in any suitable manner as usual in such constructions. The usual cat-walk or foot-way for the gangs of'men working on the'cable laying is shown at B.

' Mit'the length of the Withthis arrangement, as illustrated in the drawings, spinning wheels d, d? have carried wires from the opposite ends of thecable to an intermediate point of the cable where they have slightly passed each other for transfer of the wire loops, and meanwhile, spinning wheels. d, d have carried wires from the intermediate pointto the opposite ends of the cable in their return run. The loops on spinning wheels d, d? will now be transferred between the spinningwheels so that the loop already carried by spinning wheel d to the intermediate point of the cable from the right hand end'of the'cable in Figure 1, will be transferred to spinning wheel d,'and the loop on d from the left hand end of the cable in Figure 1, will be transferred to spinning wheel 03. This may readily be done by dropping one loop below the other and then passing the loops across from one spinning wheel to the other. At the opposite ends of the cable, the loops on spinning wheels 11', d, will be removed and new loops passed over spinning wheels (1' d for carriage to'the intermediate pointof the cable. The spinning wheels'd, d will now move in opposits directions from the intermediate point ofthecable' to the cable ends, thus completing the run of the respective wires throughcable, and the wires on spinning'wheels d", J willbe carried to the intermediate point of the cable for transfer in the same way as described in connection with the transfer operation of spinning wheels d, d and this operation will continue until'the strands are completed, when these strands will be bunched in the cable A and four new strands formed by laying up wires as above described.

It willbe seen that by this invention,- wires are being strung at all times for all four strands, so that, in the same period, of time, a-loop of wire will be taken across from an 1,sao,e99, .1 a

chorage to anchorage for each, of the four strands, instead of for only two strands as paratus not only strings twice the number of wires in a given period of time, but there 18 no additional expense in equipment except an additional driving mechanism foifione tramway and two additional men fortransferring the loops'of wire at the midway or intermediate point of the cable where the spinning wheels meet. The invention has been illustrated and described in connection with the preferred operation of spinning four strands simultaneously, but it maybe applied with advantage to stringing only two strands or more than four strands.

It will be unde'rstoodthat the invention is not limited to details of the construction or method illustrated, but thatmodifications may be made therein without departing from the invention as defined by the claims.

.What I claim is: c 1. The method of spinning'cables, which consists in laying cable wiresfrom op site ends of the cable to an intermediate point of the cable by carriers moving from the o posite ends to said intermediate point undireturn, then transferring each of the wires at said intermediate point to the other carrier, and completing the lay of the wires through the length of the cable by the return trip "of the carriers.

2. In a cable spinning apparatus, the combination of two tramways extending from opposite ends of the cable to an intermediate po nt of'the cable and return, wire carriers driven by said tramways and arranged for the transfer of cable wires from thewire carrier on one tramway to the wire carrier on the other tramway at said intermediate point, for completing the lay of the cable wires through the length of the cable by the return trips of the wire carriers.

3.-In a cable spinning apparatus, the combination of two t-ramways extendingjfrom opposite ends of the cable to an'intermediate point of the cable and return, two wire carriers driven by each of said tramways and moving in opposite directions, said carriers being arranged for the transfer. of cable wires from the wire carriers on one tramway to the wire carriers on the other tramway at said intermediate point, forcompleting the lay of the cable wires through the length of the cable by the return trips of the wire carr1ers.- 1

4. Inca cable spinning apparatus, the combination with tramways running from opposite endsof the cable to an intermediate point of the'cable and return, of a spinning wheel driven by each tramway and carrying a 100p of the cable wire,

of the cable, for completing thelay cable wires by the return my hand (EHARLES 0Q] SUNDERLAND;

said tramways and spinning 'wheelsybeing. arranged for the transfer of the cable wirel'oops from the spinning H Wheels by which they have been the intermediate-point to the-spim ning' wheel runningirdmthe opposite end trips of :the spin ning wheels. 'In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set V eas of the Y 

